The family of Jim Loughrey, murdered by the Ulster Defence Association
(UDA) in November 1976, have said they want to know how someone can be a
suspect in four murders, but never be arrested or questioned by the
police.

The suspect in questioned was named on the Police National Computer as
being wanted for questioning for four murders, yet travelled freely
around Britain, and reportedly ran a bed and breakfast in Scotland.

Last week, on the anniversary of their father’s murder, the Loughrey
family lodged a complaint with the Police Ombudsman’s office, and they
are now asking for witnesses to come forward with information about
their father’s murder.

Jim lived in Greysteel with his wife Mary and their eight children aged
between 4 and 15 years old.

Speaking to to the Derry Daily, the family said that on the night of
Sunday, 14th November 1976, they were at home. Mary was busy in the
kitchen, Jim was in the living room, and some of the children, Poilin
and Anne-Marie, were upstairs. It was a typical Sunday evening in the
Loughrey house.

There was a sharp knock at the door. Moments later there was another
knock. This prompted Anne-Marie to come downstairs and Mary to leave the
kitchen to go to the unanswered door. Jim beat them too it. As he opened
the front door he was confronted by two gunmen and was shot several
times. The two gunmen fled.

Jim’s injuries were extensive. He underwent surgery and survived eleven
days, but passed away on 25th November. He was just 36 years old. No one
was ever convicted for his murder.

The Ulster Freedom Fighters (UFF) claimed responsibility for Jim’s
murder soon after. The UFF was cover name used by the UDA but they were
one and the same organisation.

The Derry UDA were responsible for a series of murders in and around
Derry during this period. The weapons used to murder Jim were also used
in the murder of John Toland just a few days before, and one gun was
used in the murder of Kevin Mulhern. The Derry UDA were also responsible
for the murder of Michael McHugh in Castlederg and the attempted murder
of a Catholic in Derry.

It is known that the Derry UDA operated in collusion with former and
serving members of the Crown forces through the HET and historical
prosecution through the courts.

In 1986 a loyalist prisoner called Leonard Campbell named those
responsible for a host of UDA offences, including the linked UDA murders
around 1976-77. This led to the arrest and prosecution of a number of
individuals in connection with some of these murders including a serving
UDR man and a former part-time RUC reservist.

Campbell named eight people as being involved in the ordering, planning
and execution of Jim Loughrey. He said that the UDA Commander in Derry
at the time had ordered Jim to be killed. This person was a former B
Special and reportedly a former Royal Marine Commando. He was also
named as being involved in Michael McHugh’s murder. The HET called him
“Suspect 1”. Declassified British government documents and other open
sources reveal that at this time “Mr Andy Robinson was the UDA Commander
of the UDA district.”

When the Loughrey family received a report from the Historical Enquiries
Team in 2013 it stated that “the possibility of some form of collusion
between the security forces and loyalist paramilitaries in Jim’s murder
cannot be ruled out.” They asked for answers.

In a joint press conference with the family of John Toland they asked
the Chief Constable, the Director of Public Prosecutions and the
Secretary of State to answer the following questions:

Who was Andy Robinson really working for and why was he never arrested
over the years?

What were the circumstances surrounding his disappearance?

Could murders, including those of Jim Loughrey and John Toland, have
been prevented?

These questions remain unanswered. Given the recent revelations of agent
involvement in the Loughinisland massacre, last week, 41 years after the
murder, Jim’s family lodged a complaint with the Police Ombudsman. They
are also appealing for witnesses to their father’s murder to come
forward via the Pat Finucane Centre.

BALLYMURPHY INQUEST

Meanwhile, a preliminary hearing for the inquest got underway this week
into the 1971 Ballymurphy massacre, in which eleven innocent civilians
were killed by British soldiers during the introduction of internment.

Campaigners gathered outside the coroner’s court to protest against the
British government’s continued blocking of mechanisms to deal with the
legacy of conflict and funding for inquests.

“This marks an important milestone in the Ballymurphy campaign as the
preliminary hearing for the inquest finally gets underway,” Sinn Fein’s
Gerry Kelly said.

“The Loughinisland families and other campaign groups were also there
and the very fact these cases are now being heard is down to the
determination and commitment of the families and their supporters.

“In some case, they have campaigned for over 45 years in the face of
countless obstacles and resistance from a British state determined to
cover up its role in the conflict here. To this day the British
government is still opposing attempts to uncover the truth about their
role in the conflict.”

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